The present invention relates to an assembly of a seat belt buckle and a seat belt tightener.
EP0 685 371 B1 teaches a seat belt buckle for a front seat of a motor vehicle that is positioned between the central console and the front seat. The distance between the central console and the closest surface of the seat is in many cases relatively small. Only a narrow gap is provided between the central console and a seat, or between two seat cushions, into which the seat belt buckle can be withdrawn by a belt tightener. The front seats can be longitudinally adjusted by up to 330 mm which may further narrow said gap. During the belt tightening process the buckle casing may become lodged in said gap. This undesirable trapping of the belt buckle arises in particular due to a transverse motion that occurs momentarily due to the mass inertia of the buckle being accelerated during the belt tightening process. Movements of a vehicle occupant wearing the seat belt, in particular in the upper leg region, over which the pelvic belt is drawn during the belt tightening process, can also cause the belt buckle to become lodged in the gap between the central console and a seat.
There is provided in accordance with the present invention an assembly of a seat belt buckle and a seat belt tightener comprising a belt buckle connected to a seat belt tightener by a pulling elements. The pulling element being firmly connected to the seat belt buckle. In a region directly adjacent to the buckle casing, the pulling element is at least partly enclosed by a cover having an exterior shape that is tapered towards the direction in which the buckle is pulled during a seat belt tightening process. The external dimensions of the cover in the region of its larger cross section approximate the external dimensions of an adjacent end of the buckle casing and the external dimensions of the cover in the region of its smaller cross section approximate the external dimensions of the pulling element. Put another way, the taper of the cover approximates a taper defined by the external dimensions of an adjacent end of the buckle casing and the external dimensions of the cable over the length of the cover.